What Are Some Academic Interests?

Some of the most popular academic interests include the hard sciences, such as biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics; social sciences like psychology and criminal justice; and humanities, such as history and languages. Certain schools also offer specialized education in the arts, which include music, art and dance.

An academic interest is an interest in a specific field of study. For most students, their academic interest would be the subject that they choose to "major" or "minor" in while at college or university. Eventually, students typically earn a degree in their field of academic interest.

Not all colleges and universities offer the same number or quality of academic interests. Certain schools may have extremely strong science programs and lack in the quality of art programs, or vice versa. Generally speaking, larger schools and state universities offer a wider range of academic disciplines than smaller private or liberal arts colleges. Some colleges may even only focus on a single discipline, where every student who attends is part of the same academic interest. For instance, The Juilliard School in New York is specifically a performing arts school, and does not offer degrees for the sciences. For this reason, students who are deciding where to apply for college or university often take their academic interests into account.